In ("The Remains of The Day: Kazuo Ishiguro's sonnet on His Blindness") (1995-6) Rocio Davis asserts that Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day is a thematically identical representation of Milton's Sonnet No. 16. Davis illuminates the thematic connection in the "inquiry on the purpose and direction of one's life" with each writer's expression of "humble acceptance" and "quiet hope" despite "blindness", both physical and figurative.Davis singles out the similarities in Milton's sonnet 16 and Ishiguro's "The Remains of the Day" in order to expose and explore the theme of recognizing and responding to various forms of blindness. Davis addresses readers of "The Remains of The Day" because he contrasts the book "in the light of Milton's sonnet"; the educated tone insinuates Davis' desire to target readers who are familiar with both works.
Ishiguro, Kazuo. The Remains of the Day. New York: Knopf, 1989. Print.
Ishiguro, Kazuo. The Remains of the Day. New York: Knopf, 1989. Print.